Published on: 2019-07-25T03:06:24+00:00
Karl-Johan Alm recently expressed concern on the bitcoin-dev mailing list regarding the issue of Bitcoin Improvement Proposal (BIP) authors who permanently leave and fail to respond to requests for changes to their BIPs. This creates a problem for the community as they are unable to make necessary updates or modifications to the BIPs. However, there is a solution provided by BIP 2, which allows for the assignment of a new champion to take over ownership of the proposal.The process outlined in BIP 2 involves submitting an email to the bitcoin-dev mailing list and making a formal announcement on the BIP repository on GitHub. By following this process, the BIP can remain current and relevant even if the original author is no longer involved.The BIP process has faced challenges when authors leave the project, making it difficult to modify existing BIPs. BIP-2 does provide a mechanism to request a change of a draft or proposed BIP to "rejected" status after three years of inactivity. However, this does not address the issue when an author leaves after their BIP has been accepted.To tackle this problem, four potential solutions have been proposed. The first solution suggests allowing anyone to request a change of a draft or proposed BIP to "accepted" at any time, as long as they can prove that it meets the criteria outlined in BIP-2, without needing approval from the original author.The second solution proposes allowing BIPs to expire after three years, giving the BIP repository maintainer the authority to assign a new champion if one emerges. This would ensure that the BIP remains active and can be updated even if the original author is absent.The third solution suggests creating new BIPs with new assignations that supersede the old BIP, similar to how BIP 2 supersedes BIP 1. However, this approach may not be easily noticeable as the original BIP cannot be modified.Lastly, there is the option of accepting the current process as it is and not making any changes. This would mean that the community would have to find alternative ways to address the challenges posed by authors who leave the project.Overall, the issue of authors leaving the Bitcoin Improvement Proposal process has sparked discussions on potential solutions. By implementing one of the proposed solutions or sticking with the current process, the Bitcoin community can ensure that BIPs remain up-to-date and relevant for future developments in the cryptocurrency space.
Updated on: 2023-08-02T01:09:03.791840+00:00